The present invention relates to data protection and more particularly to the management and storage of backup data.
Data protection (which includes backing up computer data, restoring computer data, securing computer data, and managing computer data storage) and disaster recovery procedures are essential processes to organizations that use computers. In fact, data protection is the single most expensive storage administrative task. Most large organizations perform data backups to tape media and use a robotically-controlled tape library or tape jukebox to assist with backup automation. Performing and managing backups and restores involves many functions including, for example, media management (including tape tracking, rotation and off-site storage), tape jukebox management, file tracking, backup scheduling, assisted or automated data restore and data archival.
In order to effectively perform the above functions, a sophisticated data protection application (DPA) is required. Examples of such DPAs include, for example, Legato NetWorker, Veritas BackupExec and CA ArcServe. DPAs automate and assist with the essential functions of data protection. DPAs are designed specifically to work with physical tape media, tape drives and tape libraries. Most of the complexity in DPAs relates to their interaction with physical tape.
An important procedural requirement of data protection programs is to physically move tapes after backups have been completed to an offsite location. The tapes are stored in the offsite location so that they may be retrieved in case of a major onsite disaster. Physically transporting tapes offsite is cumbersome, labor intensive and expensive. Furthermore, shipping the only copy of backup tapes offsite means that each time minor restores need to be performed, the backup tape must be shipped back onsite. This is particularly problematic because the most likely tape that will be required for minor restores is the latest backup tape, which at many sites, is moved offsite as early as the same day the backup for that day is completed.
To alleviate the problems associated with shipping backup tapes offsite, it is possible for a DPA to make a copy of a physical tape so that there is one copy that can stay onsite and one copy that can be stored offsite. This process, however, is cumbersome and very CPU intensive and typically involves duplicating the tape and its file index information. Furthermore, because of the inherent shortcomings of tape media, it is nearly impossible to duplicate tapes without using a DPA.
It is therefore desirable to provide a method and system wherein backup data can be electronically copied to a storage medium which may be located offsite while still being available onsite to perform restore functions, potentially even without using a DPA.